The Epic Health Care Fail

Unless you live under a rock (or, I suppose, are a practicing CPA in this tax season), you are probably aware that Congress and the Administration failed last week in their attempt to “repeal and replace ObamaCare,” which was one of the main reasons for tor the outcome of the upset election of 11/08/2016. Republicans blame Democrats or Conservative Republicans (or both), while Democrats are gleeful over the failure. Both sides are right, given their objectives, but both sides have been derelict in their jobs.

Remember the “forgotten man?” Male and female, the forgotten people are the victims here. We pay, pay, pay, and incur our share of an ever-increasing national debt. Our families, both now and in the future, are burdened by the excesses and ineptitude of our elected officials. In reality, the process is so distasteful that it attracts a very distinct type of person to even run for office. Note that I said “distinct” rather than “special.”

We who suffer from Congressional largesse are often forgotten inside the Beltway. For every person who has been helped by ObamaCare (most of us know someone who was), there are scores who were hurt, including:

Full-time employees who were dropped below 30 hours weekly to avoid the necessity of employers providing expensive insurance as a job benefit

People who are forced to work 2 or 3 part-time jobs now, with less stability and a lower income, not to mention the reduced upward mobility of a part-time job as opposed to a full-time career

Small business owners who have been forced to stop growing, or even to reduce operations, to keep the number of employees and FTEs (full-time equivalents) below the excessively-costly ObamaCare threshold

Families and individuals whose premiums have skyrocketed to pay for benefits they may not even need

Individuals with deductibles and out-of-pocket limits that have become high enough to effectively eliminate their ability to receive any insurance benefits, even while paying escalating premiums

State governments that were enticed to accept federal government expansions of Medicaid funding, which goes away after the state programs become even more expensive in a few years

Physicians who feel that their ability to maintain private practices has been virtually eliminated

Potential future medical school enrollees who are being counseled to choose a different profession (often by physicians)

I could go on for some time, but the point is made. When voters elect representatives, they rightly believe that they are entitled to representation. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling abandoned.